BREEDING CONDITIONS REPORT, 1990


RESPONDENT

Vadim Gavrilov

SITE NAME

Lower Kolyma region, Yakutia, Russia

Contact details (phone/fax//e-mail//address):
(095)423-26-13/(095)423-26-13 // // Novoyasenevski Prospekt, 352-3-12, Moscow, 117574, Russia

PROJECT DETAILS

Project name:

Start of survey:

End of survey: Team size:


WEATHER CONDITIONS

Season phenology: early

Weather conditions:

Spring was early and warm. Snow cover melted before waders arrived. However, the weather changed for the worse on 10 June: the temperature was low and it rained almost every day apart from five days of better weather at the beginning of July.

 

Season temperature:
Season humidity: rainy
Date of 50% snow-cover:
Date of ice-break on rivers:
Date of final loss of snow:

BIOTIC CONDITIONS

Rodents abundance evaluation:

average

Breeding conditions:

Arctic Foxes were rare. Relatively high numbers of Long-tailed Skua were present, but not all were breeding: big flocks of non-breeders were observed in the tundra during the whole of June. Waders arrived three to four days earlier than usual, and many commenced breeding at densities higher than normal, e.g. Spotted Redshank, Common Snipe, Pintail Snipe, Red-necked Phalarope, Long-billed Dowitcher and Bar-tailed Godwit. The following species occurred at average densities: Pacific Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Pectoral Sandpiper, Ruff, Grey Phalarope, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Temminck's Stint. The main losses incurred by wader nests and broods were caused by bad weather and predators (particularly Long-tailed Skuas). Breeding success was lowest in small species such as Temminck's Stint, Red-necked Phalarope and Pectoral Sandpiper. Therefore, the combination of high densities of some breeding waders, coupled with low breeding success for other species resulted in an overall moderate breeding season.
 

Rodent dynamics:

The abundance of lemmings was relatively high (the maximum number was expected to occur in 1991).

Rodent species recorded:

LatinAbundance

Summary of fauna studies:

 

FAUNA IN THE STUDY AREA

Group of speciesPresenceAbundanceBreedingDetailed studiesComment
arctic foxesYesrare   
lemmingsYescommon   
wadersYesabundanthatchingYes 
skuasYesabundantbreeding  

 

SEABIRD COLONIES

speciesComment

 

WATERBIRD NON-BREEDING AGGREGATIONS

speciesAggregation typeNumberComment

 

HUMAN ACTIVITY IN THE STUDY AREA

Human activityComment

 


Source(s):

Yurlov, A.K. 1998. Breeding conditions for waders in the tundras of the USSR in 1990. International Wader Studies 10:105-110.

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 Last updated: 11 Dec. 2008  

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